In the aftermath of France’s 2-1 victory against The Netherlands, Didier Deschamps spoke to the media and discussed his “appreciation” at his team qualifying for next summer’s EURO 2024 in Germany.
Speaking to L’Équipe, Didier Deschamps was asked if he expected his Les Bleus team to qualify for the EURO 2024 so easily after the disappointment of their World Cup final defeat to Argentina. The France boss replied, “We had to start again after a huge disappointment, with players who quit. The fact that most of them were with us during the World Cup made the group grow. We must not trivialize it. We qualified but it was never easy. To be able to do it two games to go, even if there is room for improvement, I am very proud to see what this group has achieved. You have to appreciate it. We have qualified and we want to finish first.”
France’s secured qualification for EURO 2024 spells their 15th successive qualification for international tournament. Les Bleus have not been absent from an international tournament since 1994 World Cup. A disappointment they would respond positively to – going onto win the competition in 1998.
Deschamps was asked about what it meant to qualify for 15 successive tournaments in the aftermath of the match, to which he responded: “There were qualifications that were not obvious too. It’s the high level, there are requirements. We are among the best, we don’t see ourselves as the best. You have to enjoy this journey.“
France will now face Scotland in a friendly on Tuesday evening before going onto play their final two qualification matches during the next international break. Les Bleus are at the top their qualification group with 18 points but will have to win one of their two remaining qualification matches to win the group.
GFFN | Liam Wraith
